Priorities
by starsafterrain
Summary: The old team gets together to celebrate Oliver Wood career with Puddlemere and gives the entire team a chance to catch up, bond, and even hash out some feelings.  OWKB, George, Fred, and the entire gang.  Of course.  Oneshot.


Not mine. Nothing is mine!

Please please review. Cheers.

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"The rain wouldn't stop pouring. It just pelted us like crazy and this looney made us stand out there and practice. I honestly think it was that time that a lightning bolt took off the top part of my hair." George made these huge animated motions as he ran a hand through his fire-red hair and the entire group huddled in closer laughing and nodding in agreement.

Oliver looked down at his butterbeer and felt slightly embarassed. Had he been that fanatical? Probably. He did have that type of obessive personality.

"Oh, because it happened to poor helpless George. What about the time your fire extravaganza? My hair was burnt for an entire week." Angelina glared and pointed at George and the group joined in raucous laughter.

"Oh no, that was Fred... Right?" George pointed at his twin brother.

"You're right! It was me. I take full responsibility for the brilliant idea... but the fact that it exploded during Quidditch Practice and made everything crispy... well, that was completely George." Fred turned around and pointed at a shocked George.

"Angelina slammed into me!" George said quickly, directing the blame back at the now brunette Angelina.

Angelina looked around her for help but finding none, she said, "Oh, it was an awful day to practice anyway. We had the Charms paper and that Potions test the next day."

"So its actually Oliver's fault!" Fred looked at the Quidditch captain, who had a puzzled look on his face. His huge chocolate eyes were now twice the size it usually, showing the gang that he had no clue how to respond to that comment.

Oliver didn't really notice the empty stool next to him was taken up by a small petite blonde.

"Man, the guy they're talking about must either be an asshat, or belongs in St. Mungos." She whispered into his ear.

Great, Oliver thought, even strangers hearing this story thought he was crazy. He turned around to see a cute blonde with hazel eyes and a very recognizable smile. He gave her a huge grin. Before he could say a proper greeting-

"Katie Bell!" Alicia shreiked. "You must come here and help us stand up against the Weasley brothers. They're just too much to handle!"

Katie rushed over to give her friend a huge hug, right before the Weasley brothers decided to pounce on her. She started laughing with the gang, playfully punching each other and slapping each other on the back. She raised up a huge bag. Everyone surrounding her cheered. Katie carefully unwrapped the bag to reveal a gorgeous and simple white cake with "Congratulations" written on it.

"Where is the man of the hour?" Angelina yelled. Everyone looked over at Oliver who suddenly felt a surge of embarassment and waved at his group of old friends. The circle quickly surrounded him making him even more shy.

Fred looked up and looked at the entire gang. "Toasts all around!"

Alicia looked around. Since you're the one who proposed it... "You get to start!"

Fred looked a little panicked but straighted himself out, cleared his throat and said, "To our dearest Captain Oliver Wood, when I first started this team," He placed a hand on his chest, "I didn't know the difference between a dung bomb and a stink bomb. But after multiple trials on you and your locker, I have finally grown into the man I am now... Now, I know the difference. Without our dear captain, this would have never happened. To Oliver Wood."

"To Oliver Wood!" the entire gang yelled and took huge swigs of butterbeer. The crowd started laughing and chatting again until Fred looked over at Alicia and indicated that it was her turn.

Alicia blushed a little bit and stood up and said, "Wood, I can say I have never met a better, more passionate, more devoted Quidditch player than you... I wish you the best in all your future endeavors! To Wood."

"To Wood!" Everyone said and took another drink, slamming the beer on the counter.

"Awww. That was so heartfelt..." George said. "To OUR Favorite Captain," he made a gesture towards Oliver. "The first time I met you... I didn't think you were going to make it this far. I thought that after several years of our games, tricks, and pranks, you would have been hauled off to St. Mungos by now. Might have to make some improvements on our craft." He looked up and winked at Oliver. "But you survived through all of that and from the looks or it," he backed up and made a makeshift camera with his hands, "You have become a strapping young lad."

Fred whistled in the background and the group chuckled.

"I'm so proud of you!" George said in the most fatherly tone possible. "To Oliver Wood!"

The gang repeated George and took another drink.

Just as everyone was looking over at the rest of the gang trying to decide who would do the next toast, a voice in the back cleared his throat.

"Oliver!"

Everyone turned around shocked to see Harry Potter walking up to the group. Everyone smiled and give him huge hugs as he stood next to Oliver.

"When I came to Hogwarts, I honestly didn't know anything about Quidditch." Harry smiled and said.

"Damn straight." George said and everyone glared at him.

"Thanks for showing me the ropes, teaching me everything I know, because the experience that I had on this team, is one of the best memories I have of Hogwarts. Thanks so much for being a part of it." Harry raised his glass and said, "To Oliver!"

The rest of the group slightly tipsy at this state, raised thier glasses and drank. Afterwards, they turned and pointed to Angelina.

"Oh Captain, my Captain!" Angelina shouted and everyone else giggled. "This team wouldn't be the same team it is today without you. It would be the Griffindor Quidditch team minus Oliver Wood." she looked up and realized no one was laughing. "Bad joke? I apologize... I'm drunk."

The group erupted in a few chuckles.

Satisfied, Angelina continued. "We probably wouldn't have won the Cup. We probably wouldn't be the people we are today. Your crazy practices have prepared us for just about anything. To Oliver and to Puddlemere... those lucky bastards that have stolen you from us!" Angelina yelled.

The rest of the group chorused the toast and then George pushed Katie forward for her toast.

Katie looked up at Oliver who was looking up at her and said, "To Oliver, never in my life have I worked so hard for anyone, and have someone work even harder for me in return." Katie gave him a small smile. "It doesn't take-" Katie was interrupted.

"A rocket scientist" George added.

"Einstein!" Angelina yelled.

"Hermoine Granger!" Harry shouted. This led the entire group to start laughing again.

Katie cleared her throat. "It doesn't take Hermoine Granger, to know that you'll be the best player in Puddlemere history. No. Quidditch history! I think I speak for all, when I say that Quidditch, this team together, the time we spent together... it the most magical-" she waited everyone to sigh from the bad pun, "experience of time at Hogwarts."

"Nah, that was Potions class." Fred said amid giggles.

Katie collected herself and said, "To Oliver Wood, the greatest Quidditch played of all time!"

The gang cheered for Oliver and finished their beers. Katie stood up and leaned against Oliver and said, "Remember what I said at the last practice we had." Smiled and joined the group. They looked around in silence until Katie stood up and yelled, "SPEECH!"

Oliver was suddenly forced to stand up and give an impromptu speech. He remembered at the beginning of his Quidditch career he had made all of these inspirational speeches, only to have his entire team make fun of them because it was the same thing over and over again. Years had passed, but he definitely wasn't willing to bet on his speech creating skills.

He looked at the entire team, "Speech huh? I thought you were all over the entire speech stage!" he looked up and the entire team laughed at him. "Seriously, I don't have a speech prepared, but all of you, you're like family to me. You'll all be a part of me, as a matter of fact, you could probably finish the speak for me!" He looked around as everyone giggled and quoted parts from his speeches. "See! Seriously though, all of you mean the world to me, I hope Puddlemere is as amazing and and fun as you. Cheers!" Everyone yelled and cheered as Oliver let out a sigh and returned to his seat.

Very soon, the group dispersed and the cake was cut. Oliver looked around and waited to see if he could find Katie. He looked out the window to see her standing out on the side of the street underneath the streetlights staring at the sky. He walked out the door hearing the bells on the door jingle slightly. Katie still didn't look up.

"Hey Katie." Oliver said to her in the silent night.

"Hey Oliver." She responded without looking at him still looking up at the sky.

"You know I remember what you told me at the last practice. It stuck with me you know." Oliver whispered to her.

Katie turned around and smiled at him.

He tilted his head and tried to see the stars, but the clouds were ominiously covering the entire sky. He sighed and remembered.

_He never thought that this day would come. He always thought that his Hogwarts would take forever and although he could never wait for it to end so he could move on and play professional, he would miss it. He had no idea that he would be feeling the way he felt now. He loved this Quidditch pitch. He took his broom and took off and made quick sweeps across the field. He remembered practices that were too early even for him. He remembered his team all exhausted from the pelting rain, broken bones, and ridiculously long practices. He was happy here, he was happy about where he was going to go, but he couldn't shake the feeling._

_He landed gently and looked back at the goalposts and smiled._

_"Oliver!" a petite blonde looked at him and yelled at from the other end of the pitch._

_He turned around to see Katie smiling at him. He placed the Quaffle back in the chest and walked towards her._

_"You're going to miss this place aren't you." Katie smiled and asked him._

_"I guess, there's something about this field, this place that I'll always miss. Probably just caught that graduation fever." Oliver looked at the pitch wondering._

_"You'll miss this field? This Quidditch pitch? Sometimes I wonder if you're human or some huge Quidditch sponge that absorbs everything Quidditch." Katie smiled realizing it was a ridiculous analogy. "I think you'll do great things. You'll be a great Quidditch player. Sometimes you just have to see the world from the view of other people-"_

_"Instead of the big Quiddtich absorbing sponge?" Oliver looked up at her._

_Katie shuddered when she heard the analogy again. "Yes. That. You take all the time you need with this pitch here, we'll be in the common room waiting for you." She smiled and waved at him and left._

"You told me to know my priorities and know what really matters, in terms of a Quidditch absorbing sponge." he looked at Katie, who was now looking slightly embarassed.

"Unlike your improvement or should I say lack of improvement in the speech department... I have become quite the eloquent speaker since my days at Hogwarts." Katie smiled and looked back at him.

"My priorities huh? Well, look here it seems I have found them." He used his hands and framed them like a camera, and Katie looked through them and could see the rest of the team eating cake and laughing.

"Guess you have." She seemed pleased and took a deep breath of the crisp air before deciding to head back inside.

Oliver quickly grabbed her arm and she immediately turned around. "So I've been thinking on this whole priorities thing, and there's something else I take seriously." he looked up at her hoping she would realize so he wouldn't have to continue with this painfully awkward conversation. He raised his hand and gently pushed back a couple strands of her hair and gently moved forward, tilted his head and kissed her.

Just then, the group in the pub, threw their hands up in a cheer with all of their faces pressed up against the window. Afterwards, Oliver extended his hand to Katie and they walked back in hand in hand.


End file.
